Hijack
by The Demon Of Sloth
Summary: Ziggurat does not bother to point out that he is not Michaela Konzern. In his past life, he used to be one of the brightest scientists that created the devastating and almighty Spiral Force, not a baby that survived Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. (Inspired by twenty-three percent, kill me plz)
1. Chapter 0

**Description: Ziggurat does not bother to point out that he is not Michaela Konzern. In his past life, he used to be one of the brightest scientists that created the devastating and almighty Spiral Force, not a baby that survived Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.**

Hijack

Chapter 0

Michaela Konzern is dead at one month old. For a few minutes, there seemed to be no hope. Just as their worst fears were about to come true, the baby takes a deep breath and let out a wail.

There were collective sighs of relief and nervous laughter from the group of men and women. There was a man who held her close as he cried; all the while saying that she was a miracle.

She does not bother to point out that she is not Michaela Konzern. It was a pretty name meant for a pretty young girl, not for a dead middle aged man that somehow hijacked her body. In her past life, she used to be one of the brightest scientists that created the devastating and almighty Spiral Force, not a baby that survived Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

It was not like she could tell anyone even if she wanted to since she didn't have teeth and wasn't able to understand English.

 **…**

At two years of age, the false Michaela learned that she was daddy's precious girl and she could obtain virtually anything she wanted.

It was not like a grown man liked dolls or stuffed toys, but she pestered her father for them as that was what any spoiled girl would want. Her pink room was filled with mountains of toys and she would play with them all day, just like any girl would do.

No matter how skillfully crafted her facade would be, she would slip up by saying some fancy word or phrase that no two-year-old would be able to comprehend and get shocked stares from others. Whenever that happened, she would look at them with her innocent wide eyes and ask if they would like to play with her doll that she was holding. It always worked in diverting suspicion.

 **…**

At three years of age, her not-mother started to give her dirty looks and sneer nasty remarks her way. She soon learned that she was starting to excessively drink and smoke to beat the overwhelming stress that she accumulated at work. Apparently, it wasn't working and so she began to vent her anger on her daughter.

It was not like Michaela really cared. Her not-mother had always been an absent figure in her life, so it was usually her not-father that filled in the void. She always made some excuse about working overtime to complete her shots, while he always made room in his insanely busy schedule to spend time with his daughter.

To be honest, he was a really devoted parent and deserved more than his wife gave him credit for. The last time she had met him, he was a haughty and arrogant man who believed that the entire world belonged to him. After his soul-crushing defeat by Damian in the World Championships, it had been terribly easy to get hold of his fortune and blackmail him to work for her. Till now, she was having a hard time adjusting to his sudden personality change, and the fact that the man that used to work for her was now her father.

 **…**

At four years of age, Michaela found herself spending a lot of time with her uncle. Nero was basically a child in a man's body. He was an avid gamer and she would watch him play games on his Xbox, Gameboy, Nintendo DS and PC. Sometimes he would lend his console to her and she would purposely make her character spin in circles and get it killed by the enemies over and over again despite Nero extensively teaching her the controls.

Sometimes he would teach her how to beyblade. He would hold the launcher with her and attempt to launch the bey into the dish together. She would also purposely goof up and made many mistakes until managing to perfectly launch the bey on her fortieth try.

After all, she had to keep up the facade of a four-year-old girl who played with dolls and stuffed animals and doodled with fat crayons on colouring books all day.

 **…**

Michaela did not like school at all. Her past self was a top neurologist and she did exceptionally well in academics. She never failed to be the few top students in her schools, and she graduated with a D.O degree in one of the most prestigious universities in America. While the teacher was trying to engage the students in her lesson, she would gaze off into space being bored out of her mind. Whenever the teacher called her out to answer a question, she would always answer it correctly and with ease while enjoying the baffled look on the teacher's face.

Michaela had no intention of making any friends or being the teacher's favourite. It was just so much fun manipulating people to do and give whatever she pleased. It reminded her of the times she would seduce young bladers to join her academy, including Zeo Abyss in order to conduct studies on his friend Toby.

During dinner, she would ramble about whatever the teacher went through during lesson and games she played with her so called friends. Her parents would smile and nod their heads as they ate.

The only difference between them is that her father was genuine, while her mother was not.

 **...**

At the age of six, Michaela told her father that she wanted to pick up beyblading.

Her father immediately puts down his utensils and looked at her, almost like he was expecting to hear that request. "That's great. I heard that you've begun practising the basics with Uncle Nero?"

Over the course of two years, he had taught her the very basics of launching and the parts of a bey. She nodded.

Her father was more than happy to hire the best tutor in Europe for her, just like her other tutors for art, horse riding, piano and table tennis—they were all the best and thus very costly—but since she is dead and hijacked someone else's body, not-Michaela allowed herself to indulge in selfishness, just like how she demanded all those toys that took up nearly half of her bedroom. It was not a problem for her father since he was made out of money anyway.

 **…**

Just like herself, her father had many friends. However, most of them fell into the category of 'convenience friend'. They were only there to make business deals, earn favours and benefit the Konzern businesses. However, he did have three genuine friends that used to be his teammates during the previous World Championships: Wales, Sophie and Klaus. They would meet up annually during The Festival of Warriors (some sort of beyblade all-whites party) and special occasions such as his birthday, sometimes bringing their families along.

While Michaela did not care for such frivolities, she offered sweet smiles and childish pouts that won the hearts of many people, including his friends. She was showered with endless seas of praises and affectionate smiles, and every kid wanted to be her friend. Such a lovely child, they would say. You are lucky to have her as your daughter. They would say to her father.

Nobody knew that inside the doll of a child was a middle-aged man bored with her life and the world.

* * *

 **Inspired by the fanfic Twenty-three percent. I know that this chapter is similar to the fanfic and I should kill myself.**

 **Yes, Ziggy is in a little girl's body and will be referring to himself as a she. Poor guy.**


	2. Chapter I

**Note: For the sake of this story, the Zero-G timeline will be slightly altered. Instead of a seven year time skip, it will be twelve years.**

Chapter I

Sometimes Michaela wondered what the real Michaela would be like if she didn't fall into an eternal sleep six years ago. Would she be like her, a cold and manipulative person or a warm and kind hearted person instead?

Nobody would know, not even the false Michaela. That was why she found it fascinating that she was able to mould out her character into whatever she wanted it to be.

For six years, she had played the role of a trophy daughter, but it was starting to get old. She wanted to know her purpose in this life. Unless she was the result of some cosmic joke, surely there was a reason for being in this body. A second chance, perhaps?

She envisioned the life laid out for her: she would study and train relentlessly to be the top in every field and take over the family business. Then she would marry and produce heirs to take her place after she was gone.

That was a life that she did not want to take.

The days would pass by in a blur. All she would do was pretend to play with her toys, read cringe worthy children's books and relay the day's events to her parents. It was as bland and boring as a plain canvas.

But if she were to pick up a paint brush and splatter colours all over it, wouldn't it look more enticing?

Instead of moping around and be used as a decorative doll, she could take control of the puppeteer's strings and make a better life for herself. Perhaps she could even have some fun. Even if she were the result of a cosmic joke, she could use it to her advantage and live life to the fullest.

After all, manipulating people is fun.

 **…**

Michaela was never a big fan of animals, yet she didn't hate then either. She used to own a rabbit-squirrel hybrid that she would carry around and stroke its soft fur. She did not like it because it was cute, rather it was tolerable and provided her company while she slaved away at her desk, endlessly trying to perfect H.D Academy's bladers and the Arrangement System. When it dies, she wouldn't feel any remorse as she could replace her dead pet with another one.

Josephine was a fine, black mare that she received for her sixth birthday. She eyed the horse warily as if anticipating for it to lash out and bite her.

"This is Josephine. She's yours to care for, train and ensure wins with."

She reached out and gingerly touched its mane. Instead of freaking out, the horse lets out a sound akin to a purr and leant into her hand.

Michaela held no interest in sports (except beyblade) and the arts. Just like her art lessons, she didn't bother to listen to her tutor in horse riding lessons and performed mediocrely. Her interests lie elsewhere, and taking unnecessary lessons would waste her precious time that could be used to study. She didn't care that every single member of the family had to be 'all rounded individuals'.

Asking her father to quit her lessons didn't work the previous time, so she began to do poorly in lessons and sometimes not even show up at all. Despite all the warnings he gave her to buck up, she was stubborn and kept her ground.

One day, Michaela curled up into a corner in her room and cried about how useless she was and how she would be an embarrassment to her parents. Seeing this, her father cancelled her classes since he didn't want to put unnecessary pressure on her. Despite successfully getting him to succumb to her demands, she earned herself hours worth of cringy pep talk sessions every week.

In one session, he asked what she wanted to be when she grew up.

"I want to be a doctor and help sick people." She said as innocently as possible.

There wasn't anything wrong with her decision. A doctor was a respectable and well-paying career, and it was an all-time favourite career choice. Nobody questioned her choices; it was expected of her as the heir to the wealthiest family in Europe.

 **…**

Every day, Michaela would be seen sticking her nose into medical books and spending her days studying relentlessly. She would score perfect scores for her exams and skip grades like nobody's business. By the age of ten, she had graduated high school and moved on to university. This was a big milestone in her life and for the Konzern family as she was the youngest member to reach tertiary education, and a party was thrown in her honour.

It was at the party where she properly got to meet the children of her father's friends: Elliot, Liliane and Aiden. On occasion, her father would talk about them, and their parents would yap away about how their kids would love to meet her.

Aiden was nice and was pleasant to have a conversation with, Elliot looked like he would rather be someplace else, but Liliane was the worst. She was rather clingy and didn't quite understand the concept of personal space. During the entire duration of the party, she was constantly barraging her with questions and telling her what to do. If a stranger were to observe them at a distance, they would have come to the conclusion that Liliane was her older sister.

Maybe Liliane had good intentions, but Michaela was terribly annoyed and wanted to put a good distance between them. She excused herself and made a beeline towards the balcony. That was when she saw Elliot leaning against the railing with a drink in his hand. They stared at each other.

"Trying to get away from her?"

She nodded.

Elliot chuckled. "Lily's always been like this. You may or may not get used to it."

She genuinely felt sorry for him as Liliane was his sister, thus he shared the same roof together. The thought of being with her every day was terrifying, to say the least.

"Do you wish you weren't here?"

"Huh?"

"I can tell from your body movement and your excessive eye rolling."

"Spot on. As expected of a genius." Elliot took a swig from his cup. "I'm not fond of large social gatherings, instead I rather stay home and read some books."

"I feel the same way. You aren't as bad as I thought."

"You aren't so bad yourself."

As time passed their conversation grew more intimate until Sophie abruptly interrupted their session to pick him up and bid her farewell. She found it saddening that the party was over and he had to go, despite her not wanting anything to do with the party in the first place. Before he left, he assured her they would meet again soon enough.

 **…**

At the age of eleven, Michaela tagged along to the annual Festival of Warriors. As promised, she met Elliot. However, instead of wearing an annoyed expression, he had an expression of pure excitement. She supposed his smile was amplified because his sister wasn't with him.

"You seem excited."

"Well duh. It's the Festival of Warriors! All of the world class bladers are going to duel. Pretty exciting huh?"

She watched as representatives came and went, all of them swearing victory to their respective countries. This reminded her too much of the World Championships, and there was a nagging voice at the back of her mind that wanted her to collect data on them. Unfortunately, it was difficult to do so with only the naked eye and without help from computers, and even though the bladers were strong, they were all exclusively from the EU and not from the world. It just wasn't worth.

"The representative of Luxembourg wins!" Sophie yelled, snapping her out of her trance. The Luxembourg representative laughed haughtily as his defeated opponent was carried away on a stretcher. He surveyed the crowd that looked at him with awe and envy. "Hah! Who's next?"

A heavy silence lingered in the air. He had won ten times in a row, and all his opponents were knocked out cold. Surely there was no one worthy of facing him.

"I challenge you, sir," Michaela said, raising her hand. The crowd let out collective gasps of surprise.

"Oh? Certainly. I'll go easy on you, kay?"

"Don't. Fight me like you would to anyone else here."

His lips curved into a sickly sweet smile. "If that's what you want~"

 _3...2...1…_

"Let it rip!"

"Go Lucifer!"

"Cassiopeia!"

Her Spiral Cassiopeia was a stamina bey, and she planned to use that to her advantage. The opponent was an attack type and ruthless in battle, so she attempted to drag on the battle for as long as possible in a mishmash of attacking and dodging with a side of counterattacking.

"Hit 'em! Barrage attack!"

Cassiopeia swiftly dodged all the attacks, and the Luxembourg representative laughed. "Hey, don't run. I thought you didn't want me to go easy on you."

She remained silent as she watched Lucifer wobble ever so slightly.

"Now! Special move, Four Mirrors!"

"You can try! Special move, Devil's Scythe!"

A bright flash, smoke and then silence.

"... and Italy's representative wins!" Wales hollered, and the crowd erupted into a chorus of cheers.

Luxembourg's representative fell onto his knees and slammed his fist on the stone floor. "Ah crap, a kid of all people defeated me… but she's a Konzern, so what did I expect…"

"Thank you for the time. It was a great match." Michaela said in a flat voice, suppressing the urge to burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

The reason why she picked up beyblading was not because she wanted to have fun, but rather to keep her mind entertained when she wasn't studying. Another reason was because people _expected_ her to reach greater heights in beyblade, and pick up where her father left off. Not that she minded; it was rather enjoyable to watch her opponents sink to their knees in defeat, along with disappointment visible all over their faces. Besides, she had prior knowledge of the sport and brought down many opponents to their knees with Spiral Capricorn in her previous life, so it wasn't difficult to recap the basics. To everyone else, she looked like a natural.

"I challenge the winner!" Elliot declared, making the crowd stir in excitement.

She accepted the challenge without hesitation. The battle was intense, but when her bey came flying towards her and rolling onto the floor in all its misery, she was reminded that even though she had an advantage over regular humans, she was still prone to failure.

 **…**

It was a fact that her mother always came home late and on occasions leaving home for a few days. Being an absent mother figure, sometimes Michaela forgets that she even had a mother. And during the times that she was home, she would either be quarrelling with her father or texting away on her phone. She never had any interest in knowing her mother's activities out of home, though she might have a clue about them.

Whenever her father was away, her mother would invite her friend to stay. He was a handsome and charming man with a strong frame and a killer smile that would send the female servants blushing and giggling. Every time he visited, he would give Michaela gifts and talk with her, with their conversations mostly revolving around her father and his business. It was amusing how he thought that he could win her favour by showering her with gifts and compliments, while everyone else had done the same and it came to a point where she became numb to it.

One night, she noticed her mother leaning against that man as they both laughed. Her mother said a few slurred words before he pulled her into a hug. They started to exchange kisses, and the man turned the handle of the bedroom door.

She simply turned to the opposite direction down the hallway, not bothering to look back.

 **…**

At the age of twelve, Michaela went to participate in the qualifying tournaments for the new World Championships. Again, she had expectations on her shoulders and couldn't say no even if she didn't want to participate. When there were rumours about a new World Championships being made by the WBBA, she began to train rigorously. Honestly, a world tournament sounded fun, and she would be able to gain some recognition while she was at it. Again, she didn't give two flying shots about the joy of beyblading, she was in just for the fame and travelling the world.

Right now, she was about to face off Elliot again. She defeated Liliane and he defeated Aiden. They were once again facing each other at the opposites of the stadium, and she subconsciously tightened her grip on her launcher.

"You need to chill," Elliot said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Chill? Her opponent was supposedly stronger than her, and if she lost to him she would be a regular. The thought of people looking down at her for not being able to secure the position of team leader was embarrassing. There was no way she could just 'chill' like him.

She said nothing and readied her launcher. She came here to win, not to have a friendly talk with him.

 _3...2...1…_

"Let it rip!"

"Go Cygnus!"

Cygnus was a bey with extraordinary defence, and she underestimated his skills in the Festival of Warriors and lost to him as a result. Now she knew what to expect, she wouldn't lose that easily.

"Why are you trying to run?" Elliot said.

Just like her many battles, Michaela would not speak much unless commanding her bey. The previous her would boast and taunt her opponent regardless of their power, but now she would keep her mouth sealed unless the certainty of her winning was more than ninety percent.

Cassiopeia continued to dodge and take the attacks that were thrown her way. Of course, she would make sudden attacks whenever she found a blind spot since she did want to bore the audience.

By now, she could tell that Elliot was getting annoyed through his body language. It was about time to end his misery.

They both brought out their special moves, and blinding light briefly blinded everyone. When they regained sight, a bey was lying perfectly still on the floor.

It was Cygnus.

 **…**

"Congrats on being the leader." Elliot complimented.

"The pleasure is all mine," Michaela replied as she took a bite out of her sandwich.

"Yeah, sure." Liliane murmured.

"Well, looks like someone's envious." Elliot sneered at his sister.

Liliane snorted "At least I'm not the substitute… no offence."

"None taken," Aiden said, not looking up from the screen of his phone.

"What group name do you think we should have?" Liliane asked.

The three began to discuss and suggest potential, cool sounding names. However, none of them seemed to be able to agree on a name. Michaela, who had been listening to them bicker like elementary school kids, decided she had enough and slammed her glass of water on the table. Immediately her three teammates jumped and looked at her.

"Since you all can't agree on a name, I'll decide it for you. We'll be called Team Gaius. No objections."

* * *

 **This chapter is dedicated to my pet hamster Julian and her three babies: Klaus, Wales and Sophie. They're so small and cutttteeeee ^^**

 **But yeah this chapter is pretty much introducing new ocs and that's why this chapter is so lame. Does anybody like ocs? They're going to majorly influence the plot, so I hope you aren't annoyed by them ^^;**

 **And yeah I can't write about beybattles to save my life uggghhhhh**


	3. Chapter II

Chapter II

 _Dark Nebula Again…_

Never in her two lives had she expected Doji to turn into a digital hologram for the sake of revenge. It was just insane—save for the fact that she herself somehow reincarnated with her past memories intact—but it wasn't like she had a choice in that matter.

Just after arriving back from the qualifying tournament, Michaela was greeted by the sight of a very intimidating digital version of Doji declaring superiority over the WBBA during Japan's qualifying tournaments on the news.

Despite the sheer absurdity, she was absolutely amused. Doji was insane but in a good way.

"Is this guy for real?" Liliane asked, staring at the screen with a baffled expression.

"I think it's just a prank," Aiden said.

Elliot threw his head back and laughed. "Oh man. I don't know what the hell is going on but it's seriously funny! A man supposedly dead has resurrected as a computer and is going to take over the beyblade world! Now _that's_ what I consider shit going down!" He continued to laugh his heart out while his friends stared at him like he had lost his mind.

With Elliot laughing like that, Michaela couldn't help but laugh along with him, not caring that her teammates were probably questioning their sanity.

She fell off the couch and rolled on the floor as a result of her uncontrollable laughter. Tears spilt from her eyes and she wiped them off with the back of her hand.

Her father came into the living room after hearing the ruckus made by her and Elliot. He thought that she had tripped and hurt herself and rushed towards her. "Are you okay?! Did you hit your head? Do you need medical attention?"

Michaela couldn't reply and continued giggling like she was intoxicated. She tackled him into a tight hug and didn't let go until her squeaky giggles died down.

"...Were you four telling really funny jokes?"

Liliane coughed. "Yes. Michaela and Elliot found it hilarious and she ended up falling off the couch. I'm sure she's alright."

Her father seated Michaela back on the couch. "Alright. Just call me if you need assistance."

After he left, Liliane turned to face Michaela with a glare of extreme intensity. "What was that for? I don't know what was so funny about the news that you had to make such a huge commotion and bother Mr Konzern!"

Michaela rolled her eyes in plain sight of her angry teammate. "You're just a pain in the ass."

"How dare you curse at me!"

Aiden shot up from his seat and placed both hands on her shoulders. "Calm down. I thought you didn't want to cause a commotion."

It was a fact that Liliane was annoying, uptight and couldn't handle jokes. Michaela groaned internally at the thought of dealing with her nonsense for the entirety of the World Championships. She turned to face the television where numerous reporters, journalists and random passers-by gave their two cents about DNA taking over the beyblade world and her mood improved instantaneously.

The whole situation was proving to be very fun, but after a week it was reported that Doji and the DNA had been defeated by Ginga and a group of young bladers. Suddenly, him converting into a digital hologram and puppeteering the DNA behind the scenes to dominate beyblade didn't matter anymore.

He was nothing but a disgrace.

 **…**

"Michaela, whether you win or lose, just remember that it doesn't matter as long as you tried your best…"

The girl was trying her best to put a smile on her face and nod and say "yes father". Of course, she wouldn't be like him and break down after a loss. It was not like she was expecting to win the World Championships anyway. Japan was home to some of the strongest legendary bladers such as Gingka, and the country has continuously proven to be the best in beyblade. A part of her was expecting Japan to win the competition yet again.

As long as she didn't lose at the first or second match she'd be fine.

During the trip to their first match in South Korea, Michaela spent her time on the flight reading medical books, more specifically on neurology. It made sense since she was a neurologist in the past, and she aimed to create her own company after university and pick up where Hades Inc. left off.

When it was revealed that the Garcias used the remnants of her company to build their own, she was undoubtedly furious. She was glad to know that the DNA was reduced to rubble which made the Gracias retreat to square one again. Serves them right for messing with her.

"Michaela? Aren't you tired?" Aiden entered her cabin carrying two glasses of water and placed one at the coffee table stacked with medical books.

She closed her book and took a sip of water. "No, I'm fine. Just need to catch up on my studies."

"But we're landing in six hours. You should get some shut eye before we proceed with training."

"I can't afford to fall behind my schedule. I need to use my time to the fullest."

Sighing, Aiden took the book from her hands, causing her to whine a little. "Yes, I know how much your education means to you, but we're participating in a beyblade competition, not a medicine competition." He scooped up all of her books and stuffed them into a drawer shelf, before dimming the overhead light and tucked her in a blanket. "It's bedtime now."

"I might be twelve years old but I'm a university student…"

"Hahaha, but even geniuses need sleep."

Aiden was right. She was feeling rather drowsy and needed some shut eye. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall asleep to the quiet hum of the plane's engines.

 **…**

"And Team Gaius wins two matches in a row!"

The crowd stayed silent.

Michaela looked up from her book and eyed the South Korean team who were sprawled on the floor in defeat, along with their beys. The battle went on shorter than she expected, not that she was complaining. It proved that her teammates were strong and capable, besides this left her more time to train and study.

It was funny how the crowd were jeering at first when they made their entrance; it made their victory much more satisfying.

 **…**

Unlike their parents, Elliot and Liliane were nothing alike. They had contrasting personalities, used different beys and rarely battled together since they always find a reason to argue and bicker. The name 'Twin Jewels' just didn't work for them. Michaela was thankful that the media hadn't come up with a corny nickname for them.

Right now, they were supposed to leave for Australia for their next match, but unfortunately, there was something wrong with the plane's engines and their flight was delayed.

In her and Liliane's shared hotel room, she was reading her books as usual.

"Do you ever stop reading those books?" Liliane asked.

"Is there anything wrong with reading?" Michaela snapped.

"Ah, I'm sorry if I came across as rude…"

Michaela let out a huff and continued reading.

"So… what are you reading about? Just curious."

"Neurology."

"Are you planning to become a neurologist?"

"No, I just like reading about it and take a university course in medicine for fun."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...You're acting strange today."

"How so?"

"You aren't annoying like usual."

"..."

"See what I mean? You don't retort back when I say something sassy, and you aren't demanding me to listen to your advice or whatever."

"Well, maybe it's because I'm trying to lessen the friction between us?" Liliane's voice was strained, almost as if she were forced to say those words.

"I do not mean any ill will. I was just wondering if the reason for your strange behaviour was because there was an underlying problem you might have."

Upon hearing her perfectly crafted lie, Liliane's facial features softened. "Oh no, it's alright."

Michaela closed her book and puts it aside. "I'm glad we can meet a mutual understanding. I would like it if we could start over again."

For the entirety of the trip to Australia, Liliane had been talking to her nonstop about her favourite boy bands and complaining about school. With a pained smile, Michaela nodded her head and pretended to be engaged. Once in a while she would comment about how good looking one of the band members were to give the illusion that she cared.

Now wasn't the time to be making enemies. At least not yet.

 **…**

They had beaten the Australian team and the Arabic team with ease, and the best part of it all was that they won two matches in a row again, making their way as the A block champions. In the cabin of their private plane, her teammates were shaking and screaming in excitement like hyper kids in a playground. They were communicating with their families through a live web chat on a laptop, sharing compliments and jokes with each other. Many times Michaela had been invited to join in the conversation, but she insisted that she wanted to have a private conversation with her family.

After her teammates had their fill, she approached the laptop.

"Hey, Michaela! How's it going?" Nero asked in his childish voice.

"Everything is going well. How about you?"

"Fufufu~ don't need to be so formal. We're family after all!"

"I guess…"

"So I finally got a job, and I'm gonna get my paycheck after this week since it's almost the end of the month, haha! And I heard your team had continuously won two matches in a row! How do you guys do that?"

"It just goes to show how strong my teammates are, though I cannot say that we'll continue winning two in a row for the B block matches."

"That's true I guess."

"Besides, the Japanese team weren't in the A block, and I have heard how strong they are."

"Yeah! And I've heard that they have close relations with a couple of legendary bladers, so it's no wonder."

"This means that my team and I must work extremely hard."

"Aren't you scared?"

Of course. "Of course not."

"Uwah! You're really brave! By the way, big bro's gonna talk to you now. Big bro~" Nero left the vicinity of the laptop screen, and her father came into view.

"Hello, sweetheart."

Michaela tried her best not to cringe at the nickname.

"Hello, father."

"All I have to say is… well done. Your team went further than Excalibur did in the championships. I am very proud."

"Thank you."

"However, do not get complacent. The teams you will be facing are extremely strong, so you must be prepared for whatever challenges come your way."

"I understand."

"Remember that I'll still be proud of you even if you get second or third place…"

"Grandfather doesn't feel the same way."

He chuckled. "It shows that he has very high expectations of you, but as long as you don't give up or succumb to your enemies' taunting, you'll be fine."

"I hope so."

He flashed her a warm smile, in which she tried to reciprocate back. "Good luck."

"Thank you once again. I will try my best."

" _Why are you_ always _so formal?"_ Nero commented in the background.

…

When Europe's team went up against the Japanese team, Michaela knew that they were pretty much screwed from the very beginning.

Both their teams were tied with one win each, and one more for either of them would ensure their spot in the finals.

The team leader, Zero Kurogane was beaming brightly and trembling with excitement even though the battle hadn't started yet. Seeing his happy demeanour made her sick to the stomach.

"So you're Michaela Konzern, Julian Konzern's daughter?"

No. "...yes."

"I gotta say, you're team was awesome in winning two matches in a row in the A block! However, it looks like you're gonna lose here today!" Zero exclaimed with confidence as he attached his bey to his launcher.

"I do hope you keep up the reputation of Gingka's prized pupil."

The battle was tough, but of course, she ended up losing. What did she expect from _the_ Gingka's Hagane's prized pupil and one of the young bladers that brought Doji and the DNA to its knees?

 **…**

When Michaela returned home, she expected her family to greet her warmly and shower her with gifts and compliments as usual. However, she felt a heavy and tense atmosphere lingering in the air the moment she stepped foot in the mansion.

Nero was the first to greet her with a forced smile.

"Heya Michaela! Great job out there!"

"Thank you. Where is father?"

Nero let out a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his neck. It was obvious that he wasn't able to mask his emotions well. "He's in his room. I think he wants to talk to you in private."

When she was about to knock on his door, she heard the sound of a palm slamming against wood and frustrated yelling.

" _You useless bum! What the hell have you been doing!?"_

" _How would I know this would happen?!"_

 _"The fact is that the vixen dumped your ass like the pathetic man-child you are!"_

" _Stop rubbing it in my face, goddammit!"_

" _Why did I ever trust you to run the family business when you don't even know what she was doing behind your back?!"_

Michaela rapped on the door with her knuckles. "May I come in?"

"..."

"...of course."

Her father and grandfather were facing away from each other, with eyes narrowed, teeth clenched and fists balled in anger.

"Is there anything wrong?"

At this, her grandfather flew into a rage again. "Your pathetic excuse of a father will tell you what's wrong!" He then turned to glare at her with the intensity of a thousand suns. "And you! Your battle between the Japanese team was utterly disappointing! You're just as pathetic as him!" With that he stormed out of the room, the tapping sounds of his cane fading into the background.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Michaela said softly, almost in a whisper.

Her father lets out a heavy sigh, before holding both of her small hands with his larger ones. "No, this is important. Just promise me that you'll remain strong…" He started shaking and choked sobs escaped his throat, though he tried his hardest not to cry.

A part of her felt sorry for her not-father. After all, she used to be a man in her past life, and she once had a fiancé that never appeared at the altar.

"I'm not your average twelve-year-old, and I overheard the argument earlier to know what happened. You really don't have to tell me if you don't want to…"

Immediately, she was pulled into a bone crushing hug and he allowed his tears to fall freely. She wrapped her short arms around his waist and listened to his heavy heaves against his chest.

They remained that way for a long time.

* * *

 **Just skimming through the World Championships because it isn't too important. Not the most exciting chapter, but character development is important.**


	4. Chapter III

Chapter III

As promised, Michaela did not let the incident bother her too much. It was a rather easy thing to accomplish given that she never cared for her mother at all. Her life carried on as usual, though the same could not be said for her father. No matter how skilfully crafted his mask was, she would hear him crying or throwing things in his room after a long day at work. Sometimes she would visit his room to offer him a few words of encouragement or an occasional snack bar just because. Her father would always accept whatever gift she gave him and pat her head affectionately.

At that period of time, he was at his weakest, and Michaela planned to exploit it as much as possible before she started the new semester.

So when she went riding with Josephine in the middle of the night, he didn't stop her. He also didn't question the bag she was carrying with her.

In the middle of the forested areas of her family's private land, Michaela got off her horse and took out a pair of rubber gloves to put on. She couldn't let anyone see her pretty hands scarred with burns or rashes.

She knew this was bad, but seeing the orange flames lick away the old newspapers left tingling sensations of pure satisfaction in her body.

 _Pyromania is an impulse control disorder in which individuals repeatedly fail to resist impulses to deliberately start fires, to relieve tension or for instant gratification._

When the newspapers had been reduced to nothing but ash, she took out her old homework and flicked a lighted match into the stack.

 _Another cause may be that the patient is subconsciously seeking revenge for something that has occurred in the past._

When she ran out of paper to burn, she gathered leaves to add to the pile.

 _It is important to know that pyromania is in fact not a mental disorder, though more of an impulsive act of stress relief._

The fire isn't big enough, Michaela thought as she began to light up more matches.

 _Pyromaniacs have also been associated with abnormal cravings of power and social prestige._

By the time she was done, a large pile of ash and an empty matchbox were all that remained. Inhaling the smell of residue smoke emitting from the debris, she let out a breathy giggle. Josephine tilted its head up ever so slightly to look at her, before returning to minding its own business.

This was her own little activity, and nobody needed to know.

 **…**

"I won! Yay!" Nero raised both his arms and did a victory dance.

Michaela said nothing as she went to retrieve her bey. It was summer break and she returned back to her hometown upon her father's request. He lamented about how she never returned home during the holidays and how unhealthy it was to be a workaholic. In the end, she complied with his request because he so politely asked, and she didn't want to sour their relationship.

Before she could so much as catch a rest after the flight, Nero dragged her out to beybattle, not giving her chance to accept or reject his offer.

"Phew, I'm beat! Say, you wanna go grab some snacks? I discovered this small café that has really tasty cupcakes."

"Why not?"

The café was a quaint little store that was strategically located near a lush park that provided quite a scene. It was the perfect place to wind down from the stresses of everyday life and have a cup of coffee.

Their table was filled with cupcakes, and Nero was happily savouring them while smiling like a child, while Michaela kept a straight face as he watched him.

It was quite the blizzard scene. The adult acting like a child, while the child was acting like an adult.

"Eh, why so serious?" Nero asked, reaching out for his cup of tea.

"I didn't know that my neutral face is considered serious."

"It's just that I don't see you smile a lot. It doesn't hurt to smile once in a while, y'know."

"I just can't smile on command. Especially not after…"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean any ill will! I was just—"

"No, it's fine."

That got Nero to shut up for the rest of tea break. He didn't even have the appetite to finish the cupcakes that he ordered, so she took one and plopped it in her mouth.

It was _way_ too sweet for her liking, but she swallowed up her discomfort and said it was delicious.

 **…**

It was a fact that she would receive stares from students whenever she walked down the hallways of the university to her next class. After all, she was a tiny thirteen-year-old girl, and thirteen-year-old girls should be in high school, not about to graduate university .

Someone roughly slammed their hands on her shoulders, which caused her to squeak in surprise. The culprit let out a familiar sounding snicker.

"Elliot, aren't you too old to be playing these kinds of games?"

Elliot let out a groan, and she could feel his eyes rolling up his sockets. "Oh, come on. You should loosen up every once in a while. You're the most serious kid that I've met."

"Isn't that a good thing? Don't people complain about how spoiled children are nowadays?"

"There's a difference between being spoiled and being too uptight."

"Sure, whatever you say."

"Then again, you're some sort of abnormal child genius. I'm eighteen and I'm just starting my first year here, while you're thirteen and you're graduating next year."

Michaela raised an eyebrow. "Your point is…?"

"My point is that geniuses differ greatly from normal people. Your intellect causes you to mature faster and act like a miniature adult."

 _Oh, really?_

"I suppose so."

Just then, someone slapped Elliot's backpack, making him jump in surprise.

"You're going to be late for your next class if you don't hurry up!" Liliane reprimanded like a middle school teacher would to a difficult student.

Michaela resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Is that so? Then I'll be going. See you!" Elliot said before being dragged by the ear by his sister, all the while yelling at her to mind her own business.

Michaela hated to see him go, despite not wanting to admit it.

 **…**

At the age of fourteen, Michaela had successfully graduated from university as one of the top students in the entire school. Her graduation also coincidently fell on her father's birthday, so it was decided that a double party—more specifically, a ball—was to be held.

"No thanks."

"Ehh? But this looks great on you, mistress!"

"I said, no thanks."

"But Master insists…"

"No. Please don't make me repeat myself."

The young tailor sighed and hung the dress back on the rack. "How am I going to answer to him…"

"I'll answer to him. Please go on ahead."

The troubled girl simply nodded.

Dresses were a hindrance. For years, she had to put up with being dressed up in frilly dresses and skirts. Today, however, she felt rebellious and had the desire to take charge of what she wore.

The dress code for females were long, elegant gowns and fine tuxedos for males. It had been that way for centuries. Being one of the main stars at the ball, everyone expected her to adorn herself with the most lavish gown in the country that would outshine the other women present. Instead, she was going to give them a surprise.

"Miss Rina, would you mind letting me wear this?"

Rina's face morphed into horror, almost resembling the face of Edvard Munch's famed painting, The Scream. "NO! You're a lady! You aren't supposed to be wearing…!"

"It'll be fine. Now would you please prepare this for me?"

Rina looked like she was about to say something, but she kept her mouth shut after Michaela threatened to get her fired for incompetence.

 **…**

Evening fell, spreading the dark blue night sky with a splash of orange. Limousines came and went, with women in fine clothing being escorted by respectable men in equally fine clothing into the mansion. Rows of butlers would bow and welcome them with a smile. The hallways and rooms were pristine and cleaned by busy maids who were scurrying to their respective stations to accommodate the guests at the ball, for hundreds of aristocrats have gathered at the Konzern mansion today.

The grand ballroom where the party was held was filled to the brim with people mingling and socialising over expensive snacks and wine. If one observed closely, they could tell that there were different accents being spoken by the many people present. It wasn't surprising as these aristocrats came from all over Europe.

Watching the people, Michaela crossed her arms and let out a sigh for the tenth time that evening.

"Stop sighing, it'll ruin your pretty little face," Elliot remarked as he reached over to lightly tap on her cheeks to emphasise his point.

Michaela slapped his hand away. "Stop that."

"Awh, don't frown. It's your party, lighten up pretty boy."

"Don't call me that."

"But it's a fact~"

Turning to face her reflection at the wall length glass window, she saw herself wearing a sophisticated tuxedo made with the most expensive and silky black fabric, along with a striking red bow tie. Her long, blonde hair was tucked to the side with a hair net securing it in place.

It was no denying that she looked like a flawless 'pretty boy'. Some women were giving her second glances, and she couldn't help but revel in the attention.

"On second thought, maybe I am."

A maid was passing by with a tray filled with drinks in small cups. Elliot gladly took two servings and handed one to her.

"Are you sure this isn't alcohol?"

"I'm very sure. Drink up."

Michaela threw her head and drank it all in one gulp, before wiping the bit that trailed down her chin. Elliot made no attempt to chide her for her unrefined behaviour.

"Heh, when you become of age I'll introduce you to drinking. Doesn't that sound fun?" He then gulped down his drink.

"I'm expected to drink when I grow up."

Twirling the empty cup in his hands, he shook his head at her. "Always expected to do this, always expected to do that. Doesn't it get old?"

"I am the heir to the Konzern family fortune, the wealthiest family in Europe. Of course, I have expectations."

"Fair enough."

There was a tap on her shoulders, and she turned around to see her father with a smile on his face. At first glance, his smile looked genuine, but looking closer there was a hint of pain on those curved lips.

He was surprised for a moment.

"Eh, why are you wearing this? I thought…"

"I don't want to wear it, father."

"But you've been fine with wearing dresses for the past fourteen years."

"I just want a change of clothes. Is it too much to ask?"

He immediately shook his head. "Ah, certainly not. But it's a little awkward if you were asked to dance with a man in this outfit…"

"I don't feel like dancing."

Shaking his head, he placed his hands on her dainty shoulders and looked at her straight in the eye. "Sweetheart, I thought we've talked about this. You—"

All of a sudden, the music turned into a relaxing ballad, and everyone was hurriedly wrapping up their conversations to pick partners to take to the dancefloor.

"Ah well, the dance is starting. Seriously though, just dance. You're the main star of this ball and all eyes will be on you. Don't give me a bad image."

Michaela nodded half-heartedly as her father was dragged away by some random woman yearning for his undivided attention.

"Shit. I don't know the man's part of the dance. And wouldn't it be awkward for a fourteen-year-old girl to dance with a woman? I'm out of here."

Before she could leave, Elliot gripped her arm firmly. Giving him a steely glare did nothing to loosen his grip.

He flashed her a cheeky smile. "So why not dance with me? I won't judge."

Michaela shot him a glare, wondering if he was sane or not. "You can't be serious."

"But what if I am?"

Just as she was about to let out a retort, she was yanked by the arm towards the dancefloor. Knowing that there was no way that she could run away at this point, she let herself be pulled along to the dance.

It was already a minute into the dance and they were receiving unwanted glances. She sent Elliot nasty glares for the entirety of the dance, but he just chuckled and looked at her with amusement.

As the music gradually grew intense, naturally the dance became more intense. Michaela was occasionally stumbling as a result of trying to keep up with her partner. Having never paid her dance lessons any heed as opposed to her science lessons, she had forgotten a few moves and footing, which resulted in her being a clumsy mess on the dance floor.

Elliot let out a yelp when she accidentally stepped on his foot. At first, she was nonchalant about it until she saw him grinning and said that sentence which made her blood boil.

"Damn, you're really stupid."

"I thought you said you wouldn't—!"

Before she could finish her sentence, she was abruptly picked up by the waist and spun around three times, earning many looks of admiration from the crowd. His grin grew wider as he looked at her stunned expression. Elliot, a young boy who was cold at first, but opened up his childish and playful side to her as they grew closer. Despite being annoyed with him from time to time, he still proved to be a very compatible person to spend time with, unlike many others.

The music came to a stop. Both of them bowed to the crowd.

Yes, he was definitely considered a friend in her book.

 **…**

The clock was about to strike midnight that would signal the ball's end. Michaela and Elliot sneaked out to the gardens to catch a breather. They settled themselves at a nearby bench along with a few bits of snacks that they took along with them. After dancing with Michaela, several other young women had come to request a dance with him. Being at the receiving end of such affectionate gazes was never his intention, and frankly, he was rather tired of it. Other than talking to Michaela and his group of friends, he never interacted with anyone outside his circle. So he was bewildered when he was suddenly bombarded by random strangers demanding his attention.

"You know that I was joking earlier?" Elliot said, patting her head.

She swatted his hand away. "I don't think it's funny."

"Alright, I'm sorry."

There was a pregnant pause.

"Have you heard about the scandal?" Michaela asked, breaking the silence between them.

He knew clearly what she was talking about and nodded his head slowly. "People are still going on about it. Something like this just doesn't die out after two measly years."

"That's true."

He held both of her hands and met her gaze. "Just don't listen to them."

"I never did in the first place." She removed her hands from his grip and placed them on her lap.

"Have you heard anything interesting? Please don't hesitate to tell me everything you know."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Her face showed no hints of discomfort or embarrassment. Instead, she looked almost _eager._

Elliot rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… I did hear that she ran off with this Edward guy. Apparently, he owns this really famous wine brand called Bearing or Beringer or…something. Also, I heard that they were together for about four to five years? That's crazy!"

She nodded her head and said, "very interesting."

There wasn't a need for him to continue any further. In fact, there was no need for her to have this conversation with him in the first place.

It was not like there wasn't anything she didn't know about the scandal.

 **…**

After bidding goodnight to her father, she snuck to the forest with Josephine.

This time, she brought a single piece of paper with her instead of her usual stack of newspapers and used paper.

That piece of paper was a photograph of herself when she was only five. The photographer refused to take her photo unless she smiled, so she did. Back then she was constantly praised for how cute she was. Looking at the innocent eyes and charming smile of her younger self, she was now able to comprehend why.

The flames greedily swallowed the photograph like a ravenous lion, and soon it was reduced to ash. The bits of ash were picked up by the wind and sent fluttering to the night sky.

This signalled a new beginning. Soon she would leave the comfort of her home to build her own company and achieve her unfulfilled dreams.

Nobody was going to stop her.

* * *

 **I actually had this chapter completed ages ago but there was a problem with the site that didn't send email notifications for updated chapters. I proofread this late in the night and was about to update when the error page was thrown in my face. I am NOT waiting any longer for the damn problem to be fixed. So until then, I guess you'll have to check for updates manually? Since I only have 1-2 followers I assume the rest already do so.**

 **(Usually) my update schedule for this story is every week, so you can check for updates weekly since this is currently my top priority story, but other stories will have to wait since I'm too lazy to PM my followers. Sorry for the inconvenience, but the site has been a b*tch recently.**


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